After beating out 120,000 other actresses for the
part, newcomer Jelly Lin made her film
debut as the title character in comedy legend Stephen Chowís
latest box-office record breaker, The Mermaid.
In town to receive the New York Asian Film Festivalís Star Asia Rising
Star award, the charming, lovely Lin
chatted with me about her days on a Chow
set, the pressures of instant fame and costarring with superstars
Deng Chao and Show Luo.

And as to be expected of any girl just months out
of teenagerdom, the whole conversation gets derailed at the mention of
her other costar, former EXO leader,
Kris Wu.

Dig it!

The Mermaid

Jelly Lin

The Lady Miz Diva: How do you feel being in New York to receive the
Star Asia Rising Star award?

Jelly Lin: I feel very thankful. I feel
very honored. I will work hard in the future to be better in my career.

LMD:
You have such a remarkable story, but first Iíd like to know is what
itís like being on a Stephen Chow set?

JL: Sometimes when we are shooting
something really funny, sometimes he will laugh out really loud. And
then on the set, he is the only one who was so immersed in all the
acting, so immersed in all the story and writing. He is just really
intense, always.

LMD:
What was some of the best advice Director Chow gave you about creating
Shan, the mermaid?

JL: So you know how I had to walk like a
penguin in the movie? Stephen Chow was the big penguin, while I was the
little penguin, so he would walk in front of me.

LMD:
What other research did you do for the role? Did you read the Hans
Christian Andersen fairytale of The Little Mermaid?

JL: Stephen Chow is a special director and
he has his own thing going on. He would ask me to do a lot of different
things, like walking around and imitating Bruce Lee and dancing. I
didnít know exactly what that was for when I was shooting it, however,
after I watched the whole film after it was edited, then I could tell,
ĎOh, this is how he planned everything thatís in the picture.í While we
were shooting, he asked me to do different things and then I acted
accordingly and we would try and shoot different things. Director Chow
had his own control and his own plan for what he was doing and I would
just react fast on the spot.

LMD: You mentioned Bruce Lee. Everyone knows
that Stephen Chow is a huge Bruce Lee fan and The Mermaid opens with the
theme from The Big Boss. Where did you feel the Bruce Lee connection
was here?

JL: Stephen Chow is the biggest fan of
Bruce Lee ever, and he would connect everything he could to Bruce Lee.

LMD: Did you watch Stephen Chowís earlier films
to help you prepare to make this movie?

JL: You cannot really tell any real
personal traits from his films. He has all these different films and
every single film is different.

LMD: The cast for your film is amazing. You
have your first screen kiss with superstar Show Luo, your main lead is
Deng Chao, a gigantic star in China, and you even have an appearance
from Wu Yi Fan, who was a huge pop star in Korea and ChinaÖ

JL: {Laughs} You know about Wu Yi
Fan? You know about EXO?

LMD:
Yes, I know EXO. Please talk about your experience with these
established actors and what you learned from them?

JL: They passed along a lot of acting
experience to me. They taught me a lot about how to act as a film
actress. They also helped me a lot with how to deal with the
stress that I was facing as a first-time actress. Also, I was really
nervous because I didnít have training beforehand and I got onto the set
and started filming this huge film. I was feeling nervous about the
process. So Deng Chao spent a lot of time telling me how to handle
this. So we were like brother and sister.

I want to know, what do you like about Kris Wu {Wu
Yi Fan}?

LMD: He used to be the leader of EXOÖ

JL: But that was two years ago!

LMD:
He wanted to be an actor first, then he did his time in EXO. He has
worked really hard and stuck to his dream and has grown so much that now
heís doing American films.

JL: But what is it you like the most? Is
it his fashion? What is the most interesting thing about him?

LMD: I love his story. How he worked very hard
and overcame a lot of stress and negativity to become very successful
and Iím happy heís getting more opportunities.

JL: Iím also very hard-working! {Laughs}
I will try hard to be as professional as Kris.

LMD: Are you learning English? Kris speaks
English.

JL: Yes. I understand a little.

LMD:
So much of the fun of The Mermaid comes from the crazy CGI effects.
Since everything is new to you as first time actress, what was it like
to act against the green screen? Tell us about the process of filming
the visual effects.

JL: There is a dynamic between the director
and also the CG group. Because of those dynamics, they sometimes have
different ideas of what to do and what is better, and that means I have
to take more takes. It made my shooting more work, because I had to try
different things, so that they can communicate with each other which is
better.

LMD:
While The Mermaid is hilarious, there is a serious message in the film
about the environment. What did you take away regarding the environment
or the plight of the oceans that perhaps you didnít know before you
started making this film?

JL: Itís not only about the environment
alone, itís about life. Think about the fur products, like fur coats.
You have a lot of life on this earth that is not only human beings, and
we are all a family, globally, every single type of existence.

LMD:
Since you mentioned working hard to reach your goals as an actress, who
do you idolize who do you look to and say, this is who Iíd like to model
myself after?

JL: I like the Two Broke Girls! I like
badass humor like that. They donít have limits, thatís what I like
about them. Itís a really badass and unlimited sense of humor.

LMD: So you want to pursue that type of comedy
in future films?

JL: I want to do everything - anything.

LMD:
What are some of your most heartfelt memories of making The Mermaid and
being on the set?

JL: There was sequence in the movie where I
ask Deng Chaoís character, Liu Xuan, ďWhat would you do if you only had
one minute to live on this earth?Ē He said, ďI would just look at you.Ē
I really love that scene because no matter if the guy was saying
something real or not, Shan Shan was really innocent and she believed
everything he said and then she found that true love does exist on this
earth.

I felt like when Zhang Yuqiís evil villainess
character was chasing after me and trying to kill me, Deng ZhaoĎs
character said, ďIf anyone wants to do anything to her, you should do it
to me first.Ē I was really moved by that, as well.

LMD: The story of your beating 120,000
other actresses for the role is amazing. How did your friends and
family react when you found out you were cast?

JL: I didnít tell them to begin with. I
was worried that Iíd be replaced in the middle of the process, so I
didnít tell my family and friends. After half a month of shooting, it
was obvious to everyone that I was chosen, so I came clean to everyone.
They were surprised. They didnít believe me. {Laughs}

LMD:
The film is about to play here before a wide variety of people of all
different cultures and backgrounds. Are you interested in watching the
movie with the New York audience?

JL: Because there are a lot of different
cultural backgrounds, as you said, and this film is very Chinese, per
se; Stephen Chow is Chinese, so there is a very strong Chinese romantic
comedy feeling to the film and I donít know how the audience will
react. I would like to see more of their reactions after they see the
film.

LMD: What is next for you?

JL: My upcoming project hasnít really been
decided yet, but I want to play a female villain. I also want to play
romantic stories on campus like a student {Laughs}.

LMD:
Congratulations again on the Star Asia award and best of luck to you and
your career and please tell Kris Wu I said hello.

JL: *Takes out her cell phone and extends
it to me* Would you like to say hello? I can call him for you. {Laughs}